Buying an apartment – 外销证

After years here I’ve started thinking about buying an apartment instead of renting, especially if the market keeps falling… I though I had read before that foreigners could only purchase apartments where the developer had applied for a 外销证, is this still true for second hand homes? It seems most English web sites fail to mention this at all, did something change in the 2016 regulations?

If the 外销证 is still required, then please post the communities you know have it. Around Juiyanqiao it seems 外滩， 晶蓝半岛，粼江峰阁，天紫界 and (possibly) 南府锦 all have the certificate. 世纪朝阳，摩根中心 and 蜀都花园 do not.

Unless I’m mistaken, the 外销证 is also required for second hand sales. There a ton of restrictions on foreigners buying property in China, although these appear to be lessening as China’s real estate market is beginning to slump (we’ve seen the same phenomenon of loosening restrictions in China’s embattled stock exchanges). It seems like a risky proposition, I would proceed with caution. You never know what kind of new regulations (restrictions) will hit foreigners in the near or long term in China.

Thanks! I guess I’ll start slowly by heading down to Tongzilin to see if I can’t find an agent that actually knows – those around Jiuyanqiao didn’t seem to be sure. I know the risks may end up outweighing the benefits, but after 7 years paying rent amounting to 1/4th of a cheap older apartment inside the 2nd ring it seemed worth considering.